To Dream A Death
by TooMuchMagic18490
Summary: After banishing Chase, the Sons still have to finish off high school without losing their minds. One of them takes refuge in his secret affair, but his rabbit hole of a dream may be taking him down too far for his Brothers to save him. The battle to graduate, make it into college, and just plain survive will soon engulf everything they know. RATING CHANGED FOR LATER CHAPTERS.
1. Intro

**AN:** So this is me, taking another crack at this section of fanfiction. I've been loitering around with another username in other areas, but this is where I got my start and I feel like it's time to come back 'home'. I hope you all welcome me back nicely, with lots and lots of reviews and encouraging words, and I'll even take criticism if it helps.  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters in The Covenant, but I do like loaning them out in my imagination and playing with them from time to time.

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**To Dream A Death  
Chapter 1: Intro**

_He could spin the most beautiful lies with his tongue, and cut you with the harshest of insults the next. Lies, insults, treacheries…Those were his masterpieces. He loved to let the lie linger on his tongue, savoring the taste of deception before he swallowed and ruined your life. He could tell the most fantastical tale of all time, creating wisps of dreams that seemed so real you could reach out and touch them. But he saved those. He saved those for one person, and one person only._

_Everyone else just got lies._

* * *

The week had started unlike any other. Time was rushing already, classes were cramped in a schedule too over packed for even the most studious of adolescents, and extracurricular activities were something brushed aside like an insect.

"Have you got that paper finished yet?"

"I told you two hours ago I hadn't even started it." A roll of dark brown eyes turned quickly into a glare. "Perhaps if you calm down for two seconds, Tyler, you'd stop pestering me and I could finish the damn thing."

"Sorry Caleb." Tyler Simms mumbled his response and returned to his chosen desk in the library, head down as he scattered more books across the wooden surface.

"Don't be so hard on him." Blond fringe was tossed carelessly across a pale forehead while two thick boots clunked against the tabletop. "Seems Sarah's falling down on her job."  
"Shut up Reid." Caleb Danvers growled the warning to his blond companion without even looking up from his scribbled writing. "Don't you have a freshman to play with?"

"No." Reid lifted his feet from the table and put them back on the floor, leaning across the table to shove his hand in Caleb's face, forcing two fingers under Caleb's nose. "But that, my friend, is the smell of fresh junior gymnast pu-"

"You're disgusting!" Caleb exclaimed, swiping Reid's arm away. "Get out of here, you're worthless."

"So hurtful." Reid pouted and let out a small cackle of glee, sauntering over to Tyler's table. "Let's blow this library Baby Boy, I got you a hot date."

"Reid, I'm working."

"Piss yourself, let's go." Reid swept all of the books on the tabletop into a bag hanging from Tyler's chair, threw the younger boy's blazer jacket over his shoulder, and casually yanked Tyler out of his seat. "Her name is Danya, and she is dying to meet you. She's a swinger."

"Reid!"

"I mean the bars! She swings from the bars! Good heavens, you prude."

"I hate you." Tyler moaned as he followed Reid from the library.

* * *

"You always call me when you're drunk."

"Because you're fantastic and I want to see you."

"How you aren't in jail yet astounds me." A soft giggle spit and hissed over the fuzzy phone connection. "My door is unlocked."

"You're amazing." A quiet click signaled the end of the call. Ten minutes later her door opened and the weaver of dream things entered her realm, eyes glassy and lips full of stories.

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**AN: **I will of course expand on the story if you all leave me some nice words...Please drop off a review and I will update shortly!


	2. Knowing

**AN:** Here's a little bit more to the story, just kind of setting the background and getting out the general information of what is going on with each Son at the moment. This is a Reid and Caleb centered chapter.  
Thanks to **Sara188** for the follow! Appreciate it!

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"You look stressed." Sarah Wenham didn't glance up from her senior thesis paper as her dorm room opened. One side of the room was deserted, abandoned by her prior roommate in a hurry. She was still finding items that belonged to the girl, a bracelet here or an earring stuck in the cork board as a pin. Caleb just sighed and sank down onto the neatly made bed, earning himself a disgruntled huff from Sarah. She liked her room neat and orderly whenever possible, and Caleb had a horrible habit of leaving crinkled comforters in his wake.

"You look surprisingly well rested for a second semester senior." Caleb retorted, draping his upper body across the width of the bed. He dragged his hands down his face, rubbing his fingers in small circles on his cheeks.

"I look so well rested because I have a wonderful boyfriend who pampers me every chance he gets, regardless of the fact that I've told him to stop." Sarah laughed softly and saved her work on her computer, folding it closed before padding across the small carpet to stretch out beside Caleb. "You really should stop bringing me pastries in the morning."

"But you love them."

"And I don't love the little flab they go hand in hand with." Sarah gave a pointed look at her midsection and Caleb rolled his eyes. "Seriously. No more pastries."

"Fine. Carrots and protein shakes from here on out." Caleb drawled sarcastically, catching Sarah's hand in his when she moved to swat his chest playfully. "Nap with me."

"You have practice in twenty minutes."

"That's fifteen minutes I can spend with you then." He rolled onto his side, crushing her in between the mattress and his front, his face buried deep in her neck. She laughed and circled his neck with her arms, her laughter dying down to a contented hum. Sarah moved to reach for her phone and was stopped when she felt the small spark of electricity run down her arm.

"Caleb." She scolded gently, knowing the consequences of his magic. He shrugged and gathered her tighter to him, and she suddenly found herself incapable of arguing the matter any further.

* * *

"Sleep well?" Pogue Parry teased as he pointed to the lines on Caleb's face that Sarah's comforter had etched into his skin. Caleb narrowed his eyes and pushed the other boy's arm away. "That's cute."

"Don't start." Caleb shook his head, but the smile on his face betrayed him. Pogue chuckled and fell into step with his older Brother, their bare feet slapping lightly against the cool tiles of the pool deck.

"Hard to believe the season is almost over."

"The scouts will be out in full force for the next couple of meets, and regionals especially."

"I hope there's a few chicks this year." Reid piped up as he kicked open the locker room door. "Personally I am sick and damn tired of all these dudes checking me out." He shuddered and threw a glance over his shoulder as Tyler exited the locker room. "I get enough of that from Baby Boy over here."

"Get stuffed, Reid." Tyler sighed and pushed his shoulder hard into the blond's. Reid laughed and shoved Tyler in the back, making the younger boy stumble.

"You'd like it if I got stuffed." Reid slung his arm over Tyler's shoulders and bent him low in a headlock, using his free hand to violently knuckle the top of Tyler's head.

"Cut it out Reid!" Tyler struggled to get free, inching closer to the edge of the pool as he tried to escape. Caleb and Pogue shared a smile, helping their youngest Brother as they rushed at Reid, the four of them disappearing over the side into the crisp water below.

"Danvers! Parry! Garwin! Simms!" A loud whistle and an angry shout broke the sudden commotion. "Cut the horseshit, we have a real practice to get to today!"

The four boys barely concealed their goofy grins as they pulled their goggles into place and engulfed themselves in the chlorinated water.

* * *

"Hey Baby Boy, I need a ride out to the farm today." Reid toweled his hair ferociously, leaving it sticking it in all directions as he shook out his sweatpants. Tyler gave Reid a dirty look. "Last time, I swear."

"It had better be the last time, I can't keep buying all this gas." Tyler complained, folding his arms into his hooded sweatshirt and tugging it over his green tee shirt. "I think I might trade in the Hummer."

"Blasphemy." Pogue's startled gasp made Tyler grin. "I'd be more likely to dump the Ducati than you would to part with your dear Hummer."

"She's a good ride, but she's a heavy drinker, and it's causing problems." Tyler shrugged and shouldered his swim bag, one hand running through his hair quickly. It stayed parted where his fingers had raked through it, the chlorine acting as a makeshift styling gel.

"About as many problems as Reid has getting laid?"

"Hey!" Reid glared at Caleb, affronted, and swung an arm over Tyler's shoulders. "Below the belt man."

"Where no woman has ever gone before." Tyler chortled. Reid slapped the side of his face and withdrew his arm, crossing his arms over his chest in a huff. "Alright prissy pants, let's go."

"Prissy pants?"

"I like that." Caleb nodded and pointed at Reid. "New nickname, I think yes."

"Seconded." Pogue grinned widely and finishing pulling on his jeans.

"Thrice voted, put in motion by the board." Tyler laughed as Reid stalked off after his comment, waving at the other boys as he followed the blond from the locker room.

"Seriously, you all suck."

"Not as much as you do." Tyler replied, digging his keys from his pocket and pointing them at his Hummer. The lights flashed to let him know it was unlocked, a small detail both boys became appreciative of as they crossed the now dark parking lot. Practice had run into the later hours, creeping in on dinner. Tyler frowned and looked at the sky, taking in the deep shade of blood orange it was painted. "We'll have to hurry, the farm's a haul off."

"Then I'll drive." Reid offered, holding out his hand expectantly. Tyler held his keys close to his chest, shaking his head.

"Nope, just got new tires put on her and I don't want them burnt off in the first ten minutes." They shared a look and then climbed into the truck, grateful for the shelter from the dropping temperature. "When are you going to have your project all fixed up?"

"About another month or so." Reid reached for the radio dials and immediately changed the station from classic rock to metal. Tyler rolled his eyes as unintelligible screaming flooded the interior. He turned the volume down and switched it back to classic rock. "I'm waiting on Dad to give me a couple extra hundred."

"Your dad is hemorrhaging money right into your hands." Tyler sighed and turned out of the parking lot, the headlights illuminating the darkening road. Reid shrugged.

"It was our hobby. Before, well, you know." The truck became almost uncomfortably silent.

It was common knowledge within the founding Ipswich families that the Garwin line had never done well with reining in their Power. Reid's father Charles was no exception. Although just a few weeks clear of fifty, Charles looked more like someone who had exceeded one hundred years of age. His Using had become so frequent in his late twenties that he had developed a reliance on it, much like an addiction, and despite having money, good looks, and a beautiful fiancé, Charles found his habit too hard to give up. It was why Caleb was so watchful of Reid, and the matter was only compounded by the fact that Charles had been best friends with Caleb's father William. William, in an effort to understand Charles' condition, had soon fallen victim to the same curse of dependence on the Power and sat tucked away in the colony house.

"How is he doing?" Tyler suddenly asked in a small voice, knowing the waters in which he treaded were dangerous. Reid's father was a touchy subject with the blond. Reid shrugged and sighed, his breath fogging up the passenger window.

"The same. Mom doesn't let him out of her sight, and he whines about it all the time. She wants him to Will it to me."

"What?" Tyler stared at Reid for a few seconds, breaking only when an oncoming vehicle honked at him and he had to jerk the Hummer back into the proper lane. Reid nodded and let out a bitter laugh.

"The sad thing is, I think he's going to, just to have her quit nagging him." Reid dragged a hand through his hair, rubbing his fingers together in his lap as they stuck together with chlorine. He lifted a hand to his face, nails picking at a blemish on the underside of his chin. Tyler frowned and turned down the dirt path that would lead out to the Garwin farm.

"I'm sorry man." Tyler said sincerely. Reid just forced out a grin and unbuckled his seatbelt, readying himself to get out of the truck. "Let me know if you need me to pick you up."

"I'm good from here." Reid saluted his best friend with two fingers lifted to his forehead and then slung his bag over his shoulders, pulling his hood up against the chilling wind. The ground below him was flooded with light as Tyler turned the truck around and the barn was illuminated for a few seconds. Reid smiled genuinely this time, ready to begin his work.

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Please leave me a review, I love them! Criticism is also kindly accepted.


	3. Seeing

**AN:** Again, more backdrop for the story. Huge thanks to **Sara188** for the review! Keeps me going!

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"You've reached Kate, leave me a message and I'll get back at ya." The recorded message went off with a high pitched beep and Pogue Parry threw his phone angrily onto his bed, pacing the length of the floor in front of his desk with both hands buried in his shoulder length hair. It was the seventh time today he had tried calling her, and if he had counted right, the fiftieth attempt this month. She had abruptly left town after Chase's attack. When she had woken up in the hospital, Pogue across the hall and Caleb in her room with a large and dusty book, she had listened to the boy explain their history. She had remained silent for days, and when she was released she had returned to the Spenser campus and packed up her things. Pogue had tried to talk to her parents, and all he had gotten from her older sister was that Kate had moved down South to be with her aunt and uncle until further notice. Pogue, against Caleb's advice and without his parent's knowledge, had immediately driven down to Georgia and tried to find her. She had done a spectacular job of hiding herself, and when he found her, it hadn't gone well.

_"Just come back to Ipswich, please."_

_ "I can't!" She screamed at him, tears streaking her face. "I woke up, in a hospital, with spider bite scars on my arms and legs and face and I can't be there, I can't live there while you…while you and your friends are…are different."_

_ "Different?" Pogue echoed hollowly. _

_ "You know what I mean!" Kate sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "I'm wrecked, Pogue, and I can't go back. There's nothing left there for me."_

_ "There's me!" Pogue had never pleaded for anything in his life, and it was a sobering moment to be here wishing against a hope that she would fall into his arms again. "Kate, please, I love you and-"_

_ "We're seventeen! Neither one of us knows what we want, please don't make me go back." She whimpered and collapsed against the wall, hiccupping and crying into her long sleeved shirt. "I can't go back. Look at me." She gestured to her arms and her face, which were marked with small spots. The ones on her face were cleverly disguised with make-up but Pogue knew where they lay hidden beneath the concealer. He sank to the floor beside her, taking her face in his hands and wiping with his thumbs until the make-up dissolved. He took his time and laid a gentle kiss on each tiny mark, twelve in all on her cheeks and forehead._

_ "I do love you, and I want you back more than anything in the world." He mumbled the words against her forehead, eyes closed tight against the treacherous tears in his throat. "Please. One day."_

_ "One day." She whispered. Her hands closed around his wrists, pushing him away from her the slightest bit. "But I need some time."_

Pogue had returned to Ipswich, cold and glassy eyed from a day's long ride, and none of his Brothers harassed him about his trip. In the middle of one of their Sunday drinking sessions, somewhere between a round of Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola and a game of Halo, Pogue had told them about his Georgia adventure. They had all listened and toasted to the possibility of a happy reunion. Reid had made an off kilter joke about attempting the screw the girl into her right mind, and Tyler had promptly told the blond off with such a seriousness and foul mouth that Caleb had burst into laughter. Pogue managed a smile, and that was the beginning of his healing.

He saw the light coming from his phone and dove onto the bed, fumbling with the pass code before managing to answer the call.

"Kate?"

"Um, no." It was a soft voice, one that he had come to recognize. "It's Marilyne."

"Hey Mari." Pogue sighed and rolled onto his back. Mari had become his comfort in the last few weeks. She was Kate's older sister and therefore his informant on her well-being. "What's up?"

"I'm just checking on you." Mari cleared her throat almost nervously.

"Have you heard anything from Kate lately?" He sounded so desperate, but he was thirsting for information on his love. Mari cleared her throat again and Pogue suddenly knew she had been crying. "Mari what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Po." Mari exhaled deeply into the phone, her breath crackling. "She's coming home." He ended the call so fast he felt rude, but he grabbed his keys and jacket and was out of his dorm room before he could think straight.

* * *

Tyler pulled into his driveway and his forehead crinkled when he noticed the lack of lights on in his house. He parked the truck and grabbed his bag from the backseat, juggling his keys in his hand as he jogged up the front steps. The brick mansion before him was a testament to his family's wealth, of course, but these bricks stood for more than money. Inside the walls of the Simms house, stranger things than Powers had occurred.

"Mama?" He had picked up what his father called a 'sissy' habit when he was younger of affectionately calling his mother by the traditionally Southern 'Mama' instead of 'Mom'. It was his father's own fault though, for marrying outside of New England. Tyler's father, Richard, had met his mother Evangeline while on business in South Carolina, and the two had nearly instantly married. Evangeline was the typical Southern beauty, blonde and slim and charming, and Richard had fallen hard despite his family's insistence on marrying a woman with a large inheritance.

"Parlor, sweetheart." Evangeline's voice floated into the foyer from the left and Tyler dropped his bag at the door, walking quickly into the parlor. She was draped prettily over a chaise lounge, a small book in her hand and a glass of gin and lime on the reading table. Sparkling blue eyes, the same as Tyler's, regarded him over the rim of thin wired glasses. "How was school, darling?"

"Good Mama. Where's Dad?"

"Late at work." She accepted the kiss he laid to her cheek with a soft hum and she folded the book in her lap. Tyler sat beside her, nodding towards the glass tumbler on the table. Evangeline sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I saw I needed one."

"Okay." Tyler smiled and tilted his head to try and read the title of the book she had been skimming. "'Reach Beyond the Grave'?"

"Just some stimulation."

"You shouldn't tire yourself out like that Mama." Tyler swiped the book from her and crossed the parlor to put it back on the bookshelf, along with her hundred other paranormally themed tomes. He sighed and shook his head. "So you 'saw' you would need a drink?"

"Your great-grandpapa is fond of his gin and lime." Evangeline rose from the chaise lounge and gathered her knitted shawl around her shoulders. "This New England winter gets colder every goddamn year." Her Southern drawl became stronger as she swore and Tyler couldn't help but smile. Even twenty three years in the North hadn't taken all of the charm out yet. And if it couldn't take out her accent, it definitely wouldn't be able to take out her foresight. "You should go shower and head to bed, I don't think you'll need to study for that Biology test tonight."

"What about dinner?"

"Hmm, those plans will take care of themselves here shortly." Evangeline patted his arm and glided out of the parlor. Tyler shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, taking the steps up the spiraling staircase two at a time. He had just started the water for a shower when his phone lit up with a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ty, it's Randi."

"Hey there!"

"What are you doing for dinner?" With a chuckle and a grin towards his bedroom door, meant for his mother, Tyler kicked off his jeans and stepped into the bathroom.

"Not a damn thing."

"Luisito's?" Randi suggested. Tyler stuck his hand into the shower water, testing the temperature.

"Sounds good to me. See you in half an hour." He hung up the phone and took the fastest shower of his life, or something like that, and was ready to go in ten minutes. He made sure to tell his mother she had been right before bolting out the door, anxious to get food, and to see Randi.

"Took you long enough, I got nachos without you." Randi gestured to the plate piled with tortilla chips, meat, sour cream, pico de gallo, and beans. Tyler slid into the booth and grabbed a heaping serving.

"Yeah, hello to you too." He mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"So, my Son of Ipswich, tell me all about the social happenings at our illustrious Spenser Academy." Miranda King laughed and kicked his shin under the table, dark hazel eyes glittering happily. Miranda, informally known as Randi to everyone around her, was an outsider in Ipswich, a public high school attendee. Where most of the teenagers in town had been in private school since before they could walk properly, Randi's parents had insisted that public education was just as good, if not better than, private education. She and Tyler had formed a bond through league swimming when they were nine, and the stubborn friendship had stuck. She had grown from a stocky chubby child into a true athlete, nothing but tone and muscle from years of swim lessons. Tyler knew his best friend-who-happened-to-be-a-girl was just shy of supermodel material. Dark hazel eyes, almond colored hair, and a smile a mile wide made Randi possibly one of the more attractive girls he had known. And if it wasn't for her insistence that she would not switch teams, no matter how adorable Tyler was when he was drunk, he could have had her.

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**AN: ** Please leave me a review, I would really appreciate it! Looking forward to hearing from you!


	4. Breathing

**AN: **Sorry for the delay in getting this out, work has been hectic and I've been trying to write when I can, which sadly has not been enough in my opinion. Enjoy, and please leave some feedback.  
Thanks to **Sara188** for the review again, you rock!

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"You're a goddess, high on power and might, holding strong over your subordinates not with fear, but with love." A finger traced idle patterns on a creamy abdomen. "They worship the ground you walk on, kissing your hem as you pass, trying to get a simple touch of your grace, your purity, your essence. You belong to them wholeheartedly, give them everything, everything except your true heart." A soft hum of contentment filled the thick air, lean fingers passing through short blond locks. "You've saved it for one, the warrior. Your warrior." A cheek rubbed lightly against a forehead, eyes closed. "You belong to him, possessed by what he is, strength and honor and war. He gives himself to you honestly, drawn by your love, your passion. Together you could rule the world, and you will."

"Do you think so?" A hushed whisper, almost a hum.

"I know so." A sigh, lips pressing together firmly but gently, quietly in the darkness of his story and her imagination. Their moment was broken by the shrill ringing of a phone, blue light coming from the pocket of a pair of jeans on the floor.

"It's yours." Delicate fingers passed the phone off to its owner.

"Hey Ty." Reid sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand, throwing back the sheet covering his body as he gathered some of his clothes from the floor. "Yeah I know I'm late, thanks mother. Be there in five." He slid the phone back into his pocket, grappling with his sweatshirt as he reached for his gloves on the table beside the bed. "Are you free tonight?"

"Doubtful." A thin shoulder was shrugged gracefully.

"Please?"

"You're begging now?"

"Alise." Reid harrumphed in frustration and crawled back across the bed, lips leaving a trail up her bare arm. She broke into a grin, a shiver rippling down her spine as his breath landed on her neck. "I'll call you."

"I'll be waiting." His hand fisted in her midnight colored hair, pulling her mouth to his for a brief second. "Go to practice." She nipped at his lower lip and rolled away, taking the sheet with her. He stood up, hands in the pocket on his sweatshirt as he smiled down at her. Reid allowed himself one more second and then his eyes bled black, disappearing from the small room.

* * *

"The hell did you get off to last night? You never called me for a ride." Tyler asked as Reid opened the door to the locker room. It was practically deserted, a few stragglers stumbling off into the natatorium. Tyler slung his towel over his shoulders, waiting for Reid to answer.

"I walked." Reid lied, pulling his individual locker open and grabbing his suit. Tyler raised a skeptical eyebrow and Reid rolled his eyes. "Drop it kid."

"Kid?" Tyler scoffed. The blond just waved a dismissive hand at him and started changing. Tyler shook his head and turned on his heel, walking out to the pool deck. Caleb was already leaning against the bleachers, a towel over one arm and goggles wrapped around his left wrist. Tyler frowned inwardly at the lack of their long haired Brother; normally Pogue and Caleb got to practice at the exact same time.

"Is Reid here yet?" Caleb asked sleepily, the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced due to the ungodly hour.

"Yeah he just got here. Where's Pogue?"

"I don't know." Caleb sighed and stood up straight. "I had hoped he was going to be here before Reid."

"You think he's in trouble?" Tyler had to stifle a yawn as he spoke and Caleb immediately followed suit with a shake of his head.

"No. I just don't know what would keep him." Caleb shrugged as Reid came out of the locker room scowling. "What's he mad at already?"

"I think I woke him up when I called." Tyler laughed a little bit and began walking towards their lane, throwing his towel towards the bleachers.

"He'll live." Caleb tossed his own towel near Tyler's and unwound the goggles from around his wrist. Reid approached them, one eye closed against the brightness of the natatorium lights.

"Coach has lost his goddamn mind." Reid swore nastily, stealing a glance at the clock on the wall. "4:50? Really?"

"It'll be over quick, quit whining." Tyler chuckled and jumped into the pool, gritting his teeth against the chilly water. Caleb splashed in beside him, cursing at the temperature. Reid carefully stuck a toe into the water, grimacing. "Get in, you pansy."

"Shut up." Reid scowled harder and inhaled sharply, stepping over the side and into the water. He surfaced, colorfully swearing as he shivered.

* * *

"How did you finish that paper?" Caleb demanded angrily as he pushed to Reid's side as they left the classroom. "I never saw you work on it!"

"I'm a genius, that's all." Reid shrugged and glanced over at Caleb. "I didn't cheat, if that's what you're getting at."

"In any form?"

"Especially not that form." Reid growled back angrily. "Stop jumping to conclusions." He roughly dug his shoulder into Caleb's as he passed by the older boy, throwing a dirty look over his shoulder for good measure. Caleb sighed and continued on his way to his next class, a small hint of guilt growing in his chest.

Reid shook terribly as he dug into his pockets, fishing for the small hard piece of medicine he always kept on him. He opened up the paper wrapper and popped the candy sized drop into his mouth, taking in the soothing sting of cool menthol. He had tried smoking but didn't like the leftover stench, drinking was more of a social apparatus, but cough drops had done the trick. They were small, easy to hide, and only made him lose his voice if he had more than fifteen in one day. It was an odd replacement for Using, but it kept him off Caleb's bad-dog list. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, speed dialing Alise.

"Again?"

"I'll tell you a story."

"You always do." She laughed into the phone and then let out a long sigh, one that Reid recognized as defeat. He didn't bother hiding the smile as he started walking towards her dorm room, the steam built up by Caleb quickly dissipating as he walked. "You're a real craft, you know that?"

"If only you knew."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alise asked. Reid stepped into the warm dorm building, unzipping his jacket as he took the stairs to the third floor two at a time. "Could you be any louder, by the way? I can hear you already."

"I'm just that ready to see you."

"You saw me in English!"

"But I'm excited about seeing you, is that a crime?" Reid replaced his phone in his pocket as he reached the third floor landing, pushing open the door at the end of the hall. She was leaning out of her dorm room, dark hair creating a curtain that swept over her shoulder. He quickly moved to stand before her, both hands sweeping up the sides of her face as he attempted to bring her mouth to his. A small hand pushed against his chest. "What?"

"I have homework."

"But I thought..."

"Give me two hours, and you can come back."

"You're not fair." Reid pouted, tracing her jawline with a single exposed fingertip. Alise smiled and nipped at his flesh with her teeth.

"Life isn't fair, Garwin, stick a straw in it and suck it up." She laughed and hopped backwards into her room, slowly swinging the door closed. "Two hours!"

Reid let the door close in his face and then brought his forehead to rest against the smooth wooden surface, one arm over his head. He let out a slow breath, menthol scented, and slapped an open palm on the door before walking away. He didn't even try to fight the urge to glance at his watch as he sauntered down the hall.


	5. Playing

**AN: ** Sorry for the slight delay in getting this posted, work has made me its biatch for the last few days. Hope your all enjoy reading, leave me some love!

* * *

Alise Van deGaard bent low over the pool table, eyeing her next shot. The cue she held in her hand felt natural to her, and she lifted it to the table with a swiftness and grace that made her skill appear fluid. Her dark almost black hair was tied back in a loose braid, draped over one shoulder as she prepared for her shot. She had just exhaled, ready to shoot, when a firm hand collided with her backside and forced the stick up and into the cue ball.

"Garwin!" She turned, brandishing the stick like a weapon. Reid laughed at the chalk tip in his face, slapping it aside. "You owe me thirty bucks!"

"Just thirty?" He shrugged and tucked a hundred dollar bill down the front of her shirt. She grabbed his wrist and yanked him closer to her face.

"Don't start with me here, you won't like the way it ends."

"Getting your ass handed to you again, Garwin?"

"Shut your face Abbott, or I'll have Van here break it for me." Reid snapped irritably. Alise smiled sweetly over Reid's shoulder and suddenly melted into him, both arms wrapping around his back. He nearly purred at the contact and then came to, making a show of extracting himself from her embrace.

"Hello Aaron." Alise drawled as she swung herself up onto the side of the table. Reid moved around the table, watching the exchange between the ex-lovers carefully. He enjoyed an Alise and Aaron fight as much as the next person did, especially since he was the reason they had started fighting.

"Alise." Aaron squared his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. Alise cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "How's the business?"

"Thriving." She put extra emphasis on her 'r' and looked over her shoulder at Reid. "Wouldn't you say so?"

"Yeah." Reid leaned all the way across the felt surface and fetched his money from her cleavage. He flashed it in Aaron's direction. "I'd say so."

"You lay one more finger on her and-"

"Careful there Abbott." Alise put a palm on his chest as he moved towards Reid. "You're sadly outnumbered and I don't want to lie to the cops tonight." Her eyes locked with Caleb's as the rest of the Sons waded over to the tables.

"Is there a problem?" Caleb asked hotly as he bumped shoulders with Aaron. Tyler stood off to the side, eyes peeled for Nicky.

"Nah." Aaron said sullenly. He lifted an arm and pointed at Reid. "Next time, Garwin."

"Yeah yeah, and next time I'll send you home to Mommy with a better shiner than last time." Reid blew a sarcastic kiss at the retreating boy. Caleb sighed and had to resist the urge to put his hands on his hips.

"Reid, really?"

"It's my fault." Alise interjected smoothly. "I egged him on. Besides, Reid and I were just about to play a game. Nothing to worry about here, big brother." She patted Caleb's bicep and passed him a wink.

"Keep it cool." Caleb said sternly before returning to the table where he had been sitting with Sarah. Tyler stayed put by the jukebox, kicking it with his foot until it played a song he liked.

"Nice cover." Reid said appreciatively to Alise.

"Shut your face, Garwin, and rack 'em." She grabbed another stick and tossed it to Tyler. "Let's play, Baby Boy."

"But I thought-"

"Shut up Reid." Alise shot him a look that let him know she meant it, and he scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets as Tyler stepped up to play his game. He was distracted by the door opening, a trickle of girlish laughter overpowering all of the music and other noise in the bar. Reid watched as two familiar faces made their way to the table where Caleb and Sarah were sitting. Without a word to Tyler or Alise, he moved through the crowd and plopped down in a chair between two girls.

"Ladies." Each of his arms was slung over a pair of thin shoulders. To his right, Randi rolled her eyes and removed his arm from her shoulders.

"Reid, this is Kelsey." Randi introduced the girl on Reid's left, who was blushing fiercely.

"Well hello beautiful." Reid extended his now free hand to the girl and she laughed nervously. "You, madam, are an absolute vision, and what you're doing with Randi here, I have no idea."

"We're on a date and if you're nice we'll let you hold the camera." Randi teased as she stood from her chair, bumping Reid with her hip until he moved into the chair she just vacated. Her arm went comfortably over the back of Kelsey's seat, establishing their space. "So, Caleb, did you try those workouts I gave you?"

"Yeah, they were pretty intense."

"Like camping." Sarah piped up suddenly. Everyone at the table frowned and then Reid broke into a smile.

"I get it. Intense, in tents…You're clever." Reid shook his head and rolled his eyes, twirling a finger next to his head as he looked at Caleb. Caleb huffed and kissed Sarah's cheek as she picked at her fries.

"It was pretty funny, actually." Kelsey shrugged her shoulders, coincidentally inching a little closer to Randi, who grinned and leaned back in her chair.

"See? I don't make lame jokes all the time." Sarah stuck her tongue out at Reid. Caleb laughed and turned back to Randi.

"I gave the workouts to Coach, but we'll see what he says. I didn't tell him where I got them from."

"Why?" Kelsey asked. Caleb looked at Randi, who opened and closed her mouth a few times. Reid barged in quickly with the explanation.

"You, my dear, are looking at some of Spenser Academy's finest specimens." Reid waited expectantly for a reaction, but all he got was a furrowed brow.

"Okay, and your point is…?"

"I got this." Sarah pushed the basket of fries away from her chair. "You go to the public, right?" Kelsey nodded. "I thought so. Anyway, apparently at Spenser there's something in the water that gives everyone this elitist attitude, so no matter what, nothing from the public system is going to be better than anything Spenser can crap out in four years. Ergo, Caleb won't tell his Coach that he got the workouts from a public swimmer because heaven forbid they actually be worth something."

"Well that's dumb as hell." Kelsey scoffed and reached for a fry. Randi grinned again and ran her fingers through the other girl's red hair.

"Agreed." Caleb nodded. "Which is why we hang out with Randi."

"That, and because I would murder you if you dissed my best friend." Tyler appeared behind the group with an armful of sodas, placing them on the edge of the counter. He dropped a peck on Randi's cheek and then offered his hand to Kelsey. "You must be Kelsey. Randi here won't shut up about you. I'm Tyler."

"Funny, she won't shut up about you either." Kelsey giggled when Randi made an exasperated face as she sipped from a soda.

"How much did you take her for?" Reid asked as Tyler made himself comfortable on the expanse of booth on one end of the table.

"You mean how much did I take him for, sweetheart." Alise crooned as she slid easily into Reid's lap. He wrapped one arm loosely around her waist, his chin on her shoulder. "And seventy."

"Damn Baby Boy." Randi whistled as Tyler shrugged and poured an insane amount of ketchup on his fries. "Maybe you can give me some lessons, it's about time I've started robbing Ty blind."

"No." Tyler pointed seriously at Alise, who just winked at Randi. "I mean it. Reid, put a leash on her."

"After you put one on yours." Reid jerked his head in Randi's direction. Tyler looked up and froze, ketchup still oozing from the bottle as he watched Randi affectionately nuzzle the side of Kelsey's neck.

"Miranda!" Tyler sounded eerily like one of their mothers as he hissed across the table at the girl. She hummed something in reply and Tyler banged a fist on the table. Sarah jumped, broken from her staring. Randi looked up, obviously irritated.

"What?"

"Right here?"

"Oh please." Randi waved a hand and used her free one to caress Kelsey's shoulder. "Like you really mind."

"I don't." Reid leaned back in his seat and shared a smile with Caleb. The dark haired boy went back to looking at his own girlfriend, who was still trying to not stare too hard at the two other girls at the end of the table. Tyler, defeated, went back to his fries, and when he saw he had effectively drowned them in tomato puree, he sighed and began to eat.

* * *

"Still haven't heard from Pogue." Caleb muttered as he left Nicky's, Reid and Tyler flanking him. Alise had left hours earlier, claiming that she had homework waiting for her. Sarah, Randi, and Kelsey were walking arm in arm through the parking lot, a silver flask darting between all three girls. It had been produced shortly after Randi's arrival and had been the secret to Kelsey's laidback nature. Now they were all sharing.

"Me neither." Reid chewed lightly on a fingernail as he checked his phone for the fourth time since walking out the door.

"She'll call you later." Tyler assured him. The youngest boy pulled up his hood against the chill of the night air. "I hope Pogue is okay."

"He will be." Caleb said firmly. "I can still feel his tie to the Power, so he's okay."

"You can feel that?" Reid asked.

"Yeah." Caleb shivered and started walking after the girls. "Double dose and all that."

"Huh. So that's what I get to look forward to." Reid fell into step with Caleb as Tyler jogged ahead, forcing his way in between Randi and Kelsey.

"Look forward to?" Caleb frowned in confusion. Reid sighed and kicked the gravel under his feet.

"Let's just say Dad's birthday present isn't going to be all that great this year." Reid blew out a long stream of air. Caleb clapped a hand on the blond's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Sorry man."

"Hey, I'll live, right?" Reid chuckled hoarsely. He cleared his throat and squinted at the figures walking ahead of them. "I'll be damned, I think Baby Boy may get laid tonight."

"What?" Caleb whipped his head towards the group and his eyebrows nearly married his hairline in shock. "Oh good God. They really are trashed."

"Yeah, and you may want to grab Sarah before she gets involved."

* * *

**AN: **Leave me some love and I'll post ASAP! Thanks!


	6. Searching

**AN: **Enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review at the end of it! I appreciate all of the love so far, keep it up! You guys rock!

* * *

"Tell me another story."

"I can't tonight."

"Why?"

"Because you've been drinking, and I have to find Pogue." Reid sighed into the phone as Alise pleaded with him on the other end. He wanted to see her, he really did, but earlier that afternoon Caleb had thrown together a search party.

"I have not been drinking."

"Yes you have, it's that bottle of damn awful Moscato you insist on hiding under your sink." Reid bounced on his toes, cold and shivering, as he waited for Tyler to drive up. "I'll call you later."

"Liar." She hung up with a sharp click and he blew frustrated air out of his nose, creating vapor that made it look like he could have been a dragon. He entertained himself with this nonsense until headlights broke through the freezing air.

"Take any longer to get here, could you?" Reid asked hatefully as he warmed his hands on the vent blowing air at him. Tyler just rolled his eyes and turned the Hummer onto the road that would eventually dead end at the Danvers colony house.

"I don't know why Caleb got this hair up his ass today."

"Maybe he felt Pogue Use or something."

"Yeah, maybe." Tyler mumbled into his fist as he stared at the dark expanse before the truck. "When are you going to be done with your project?"

"I don't know." Reid shrugged and leaned back in the seat. "I was thinking I might finish it after my birthday."

"Next month is going to be rough, man." Tyler shook his head as he was jostled in his seat while the Hummer transferred from asphalt to gravel. "Pogue in two weeks, you four days after."

"Well we get a nice little break before yours." Reid laughed and counted the months on his fingers. "Christ, five months."

"Well we can't all be Thanksgiving children." Tyler snapped.

"You certainly are a cranky spring chicken."

"You know, I've always hated that joke. Just because my birthday is in May doesn't automatically make me a spring chicken."

"No, with this attitude it's more like spring grizzly bear." Reid said, amused at Tyler's surliness. The dark haired boy sighed and slumped against the driver side door, pouting. "What's eating you?"

"Randi." Tyler frowned harder than before and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand as he drove carefully through the tree covered path.

"What about her?"

"Well, you remember that night we all went to Nicky's, and she had a date with her?"

"Yeah, the night you could have gotten epically laid and chose to chickenshit out?"

"Yeah, whatever. Well, apparently, Randi's pissed at me because Kelsey wants to hang out with me." Tyler dimmed the lights on the truck and threw it in park right before the small stone wall and wooden gate leading up to the colony house.

"That's fucked up. But yet girl logic."

"Well girl logic can suck my dick."

"Sounds like someone wants to."

"Shut up." Tyler couldn't help the smile as he climbed from the truck, walking behind Reid into the dark and dusty house. They slowly walked the path they had taken a few dozen times, through the living room and to the opposite side of the chimney, where the stone steps leading to the basement were illuminated faintly by candles. As they approached the basement the hum of Power in their veins increased, letting them know Caleb was Using, and not lightly.

"Have you found him?" Reid asked as he jumped down the last few steps. Caleb shook his head, eyes black as midnight as he reached for a thick tome on the stone seat beside him. Tyler dropped onto the place where his surname was etched into stone and Reid took his rightful place across from Caleb.

"I've put a Trace on his Power, but nothing has come up yet. Either he knows I was going to try that or he just isn't Using."

"I'm going to go with he's just not Using. He basically gave it up after you Ascended." Tyler said, his eyes bleeding black as he touched the bookshelf behind him. Three leather bound books flew out at him, circling around his head as pages turned on their own accord. Reid wet his lips nervously, unsure of how much he actually wanted to Use.

"You don't have to, Reid." Caleb said carefully, knowing the reason behind the blond's anticipation. Reid nodded and dug a few cough drops out of his pocket, popping one his mouth as quickly as he could. "What are you looking for, Tyler?"

"Trying to see if there's any other definite way we could track him."

"Has anyone tried calling his parents?" Reid piped up, picking at a loose thread on one of his gloves.

"They're in Europe, remember?" Caleb replied. "They always go to their house in the Alps this time of year, for their ski trip."

"So did Pogue go?"

"And miss the week before Regionals? You're joking." Tyler scoffed and closed one book. "Pogue wouldn't do something like that for his parents."

"Then it's got to be Kate." Reid said simply. "Has anyone tried calling her?" There was a beat of silence and then Reid stood, triumphant. "You can thank me on the drive over, gentlemen." He skipped up the stairs two at a time and Tyler met Caleb's gaze with his own, both boys' eyes back to their respective colors.

"You know, sometimes, when he's right and I'm wrong, I feel so stupid." Caleb sighed and followed Tyler out of the basement. Tyler laughed and jogged up the steps.

"Try living with him. He's almost a genius when he wants to be."

* * *

Reid looked at his phone as it vibrated and flashed for the seventh time in the last fifteen minutes. He sighed and looked up at the teacher and the scribbles in his notebook. He nudged Tyler with his elbow and the dark haired boy jumped awake.

"Cover me." Reid whispered, slinking out of his seat as he made his way towards the classroom exit. Tyler shoved a hand up under one cheek and yawned, taking up a pencil and dutifully taking the rest of the notes as Reid left the class. He unlocked the touch screen and answered the call. "Alise?"

"Reid!" She sounded panicked, almost hysterical, and his pulse immediately quickened. "Reid, where are you?"

"I've been in Chemistry, like any other Tuesday."

"I need you, please!"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, just please…please hurry." He could hear the hiccups starting and he took off walking towards the double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Alise, tell me what's wrong. Where are you?"

"I don't know." It was a pathetic moan that came through the phone and he cursed under his breath as he started to run across the campus. Spenser wasn't a huge school, but at a time like this, it seemed to go on for miles.

"Listen to me, are you in your dorm?"

"Yes." Another soft hiccup echoed in his ear and then a quiet click ended the call. Reid broke into a full sprint, eyes flashing as he approached the dormitory where most of the Spenser females lived. He jumped up the four steps leading into the building and swung around into the fire escape, clawing his way up the stairs. His lungs were bleeding, he was sure of it, but he had to get to the third floor as fast as he could. He came flying down the hallway, skidding to a stop in front of her room.

* * *

**AN:** Well...let me know what you think!


	7. Finding

**AN: **Here's more! Please keep reading and reviewing, I love all of the support!

* * *

Pogue cradled the head resting on his chest as tenderly as possible, fingers tangled in smooth black hair while he stared down at the girl curled against his side. He finally had her back, his Kate, his love. She stirred slightly in her sleep and gripped the shirt he was wearing with one hand, sighing as she settled back down. Pogue smiled and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, folding one arm behind his head. A soft knock at the door made him look up to see Marilyne poke her head through the small opening.

"She okay?" The older girl mouthed. Pogue nodded and watched as Marilyne's face softened in relief. She waved her goodbye and shut the door. Pogue relaxed again, still extremely grateful to have her back.

Kate had come back from her hiatus in Georgia, driving straight up from Atlanta to Ipswich in a single day. It had taken her nearly two months, but she had come back and Pogue had gone straight to her house to meet her there, arriving at nearly the same time. Her family had been gathered on the front porch, her mother eagerly clutching a tissue in one hand while her father leaned stoically against the doorframe. Marilyne had run out to his Ducati as soon as he had pulled into the driveway, wrapping him quickly in a hug.

"I'm glad you came over."

"Wouldn't miss this for the world." His sentence was punctuated by the sound of a car turning into the driveway. It was her, it was finally her, and his feet moved on their own to the driver's side of the silver BMW, his hands wrenching the girl inside out almost before she had a chance to put the vehicle in park.

He hadn't been able to not touch her since she got out of the car, his hand always holding hers or placed gently on her arm or the small of her back. At dinner he kept a hand on her knee, shooting her careful glances as he tried to figure out what was going through her mind. She made small talk with her family, who were attentive to the fact that she didn't seem to want to talk about Georgia, or the reason why she had left in the first place. As Marilyne cleaned the table, her mother shot Pogue a meaningful glance and then nodded her head towards the stairs, indicating that it was time for him to sort things out with her.

"I missed you." Those were the first words out of his mouth as he closed her bedroom door. She nodded and sat on the edge of her bed, eyes rimmed with tears. Immediately he went to her side, arms creating a warm embrace that she leaned into wholeheartedly.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." She sniffled miserably and Pogue ran a hand over her hair.

"I'm not. You needed your time, I just hope I gave you the space you wanted."

"You did." It was a tiny smile, but one that made his heart melt regardless. "Thank you." And then she pressed the lightest of kisses to his cheek, right near the corner of his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her until the next morning, and she giggled when he followed her lips as she pulled away. Pogue let out a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"Like I said, I really missed you." He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and Kate burrowed deeper into his side. Her arms, thin and scarred, wrapped around his midsection as her forehead rested against his shoulder.

"I missed you too." Her words were muffled by his shirt, but they made him smile widely anyway. He hugged her tighter, and within mere minutes the exhaustion from her trip caught up with her and Kate was fast asleep.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?" Caleb demanded as Pogue walked into their shared dorm. Caleb made to cross the room when Pogue finished entering the room, Kate attached to his hand. Caleb stopped short, dropping the bag in his hand in disbelief. He slowly broke into a wide grin and went to the girl, crushing her in a sweeping hug.

"Hey Caleb." She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she returned the boy's embrace.

"It's good to see you again. Does Sarah know you've come home?"

"No, not yet."

"I'll call her."

"Actually, Caleb." Pogue interrupted the older boy with a hand on his shoulder. "We just need a little while, to discuss some stuff."

"Oh." Caleb nodded and then Pogue's sentence clicked in his head. "Right! Yeah, you two should uh, you know, go over everything, and I'll just, you know, I'll go." He reached down by his bed and grabbed the bag he had dropped earlier, throwing it over one arm. "It's really good to have you back, Kate, we really missed you."

"Thanks Caleb." Kate tucked her hair behind her ears and watched him leave, turning to Pogue with a smile. "So he's Ascended?"

"Yeah." Pogue sat on the edge of his bed and Kate faced him on the edge of Caleb's bed. "He Ascended the night of the Fall Fest."

"His eighteenth birthday. Right." Kate nodded and laced her fingers together in her lap. "So, your birthday, you'll do the same thing?"

"Yes." Pogue reached over and took her hands in his. "But my Ascension will be nothing like Caleb's."

"Was his bad?" Kate asked quietly, looking down at the floor. "Because of Chase?"

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty. But mine will go smoothly, because I don't Use often, and there's no lunatic loose out for us." He squeezed her hand gently.

"You're Ascending in less than two weeks. Aren't you scared?"

"No." He shook his head and pried her fingers apart, lacing them with his own. "Nothing will ever scare me again, not since you came back home."

"You're a hopeless romantic." She giggled and let him pull her over to his side of the room, falling into his lap with a soft sigh. Her hands made their way into his hair, pulling lightly. "You've let it grow out too long again."

"It wasn't really on my mind, to be honest." His hands settled heavily on her hips as she swung a leg on either side of his, facing him as she bit her bottom lip. His eyes drifted down to her mouth and then back up to her eyes.

"So then what was on your mind?" One eyebrow quirked as she smiled down at him, as if she already knew the answer.

"You, of course." He lifted his mouth to hers and claimed it feverishly, easily twisting them to one side until he covered her body with his.

* * *

"What the holy hell, Alise?" Reid asked accusingly as he looked around the trashed dorm room. She whimpered and curled tighter into herself beneath the covers. He gripped the end of the comforter and whipped it towards the floor. She squeaked and buried her head under a pillow. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I don't know." She moaned miserably, shaking as he moved towards the side of the bed where she lay curled in the fetal position. He ripped the pillow from her hands, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her into a sitting position. He knelt there beside the bed, his flood of pervious concern now turning to anger as he found the reason for her state of mind.

"Shit." He surveyed the two empty bottles of wine and the open container of pain relievers on her bedside table. "You have a problem."

"I know." She tried to cover her face with her hands but Reid held them in place in her lap. She turned her eyes away from him and he stood back up, kicking the wine bottles under the bed.

"You can't keep doing this." He pulled her to her feet and swept one arm under her knees, carrying her into the small bathroom. Reid kept one arm tight around her waist as he set her feet back on the floor, her back leaning heavily into his front. The sink soon filled with cold water and he took the washcloth from the towel rack, soaking it in the water before pressing it to her face and neck. Alise sighed at the feeling and lifted her hand backwards to the side of Reid's face. He knocked her arm away, concentrating on trying to get her in a better state.

"Look at us." She whispered as she reached for the mirror. "We're so pretty together." Her fingertips ran over the reflective surface. "So pretty." Reid's eyes met hers for a moment in the mirror, blue locked on green, and then he went back to his task at hand, holding the cloth to her forehead. She let her head roll back onto his shoulder, her face tilted towards his. "Aren't we pretty?" She giggled and then sighed, reaching up for his face again. "Tell me a pretty story, Reid, like you always do."

* * *

**AN: **Let me know what you think!


	8. Reuniting

**AN:** I've been working on chapters all day, so I should post at least one more before the end of the night! Keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing please!

* * *

"I'm so glad the gang's all back together!" Sarah exclaimed happily as she clung to Kate's arm as they sat in Nicky's later that week. Kate kept her hand locked with Pogue's, a wide smile covering her face the entire night. Pogue was beyond in a good mood, even though he had lost every single foosball game he played against Caleb. Caleb was immensely enjoying himself, no thanks to the flask Reid had snuck in to celebrate Kate's homecoming. Sarah didn't seem to mind her now tipsy boyfriend either, since alcohol made him more affectionate than normal. Tyler had invited Randi, who had shown up with a friend in tow for Reid.

"She doesn't get out much, show her a good time, will you?" Randi had winked at Reid and passed off her tall redheaded friend to the blond boy, who had enthusiastically nodded his head and taken off with the girl to the pool tables.

"I'm just really happy to be back." Kate linked her arm through Sarah's and took a few fries from the girl's basket.

"Can we dance? I wanna dance." Sarah giggled as she took another sip of her spiked soda, blue eyes sparkling as she dragged Kate onto the dance floor.

"Man, I'm really happy for you." Caleb drawled, patting Pogue on the arm. Pogue just laughed and nodded, standing and pointing to the foosball table.

"Rematch asshole, let's go." The boys made their way through the crowd of dancing people until they reached the tables, setting up quickly for a game. "So I was thinking."

"That's dangerous." Caleb grinned and flipped a handle on the table, sending the small soccer ball flying across the tiny field. Pogue jumped down to the defense handles.

"We have to set Tyler up, man."

"He's got Randi for a wingman."

"Dude, she's his competition." Pogue snorted and Caleb shrugged as he nonchalantly spun another handle and scored. Pogue swore under his breath. "Anyway, I was thinking, we should help Baby Boy out."

"Okay, well, here's a problem." Caleb frowned and moved to counter Pogue's quick advancement across the small field. "Tyler's picky, and he won't do anyone Reid's done."

"Says who?"

"Says him." Caleb used his foot to reposition a handle at the end of the table. "So we have to rule out a lot of the possible candidates. Which is why, honestly, it's better for Randi to take care of this."

"Man, those two should just get together already." Pogue shook his head. "I mean, I know it won't happen, but still. It would make things easier."

"Yeah man, I don't know." Caleb paused and looked over at the pool tables. "But Reid's doing just fine so far with that friend of hers."

* * *

Reid smirked to himself as he bent over the back of Jess, the redhead Randi had brought along for the evening. He pressed his chest hard into her back as she leaned over the pool table, his hands skimming lightly against her hips before he laid his arms over hers, demonstrating proper technique.

"You're almost a natural there, Red." His mouth was dangerously close to her ear, and he could almost feel the heat of the flush on her cheeks. She laughed nervously and shifted her weight, unconsciously rubbing herself against Reid in a manner he could only call heavenly.

"She has no idea what she's doing." Tyler laughed into his fist as Randi bumped shoulders with him. The brunette broke into a fit of giggles, well past the legal drinking limit.

"Yeah but Reid does." Randi stole a quick sip from Tyler's drink, smiling when he rolled his eyes. "Don't you sass me, Simms."

"Look now, King, don't make me settle this outside."

"Oooh, what are you going to do, Baby Boy?" Randi pretended to shake nervously in her shoes. "Spank me?"

"I swear to God, Randi." Tyler had to grind his teeth together to keep his mind from going into overdrive. Randi shrugged.

"We both know I'm harmless." She draped an arm over his shoulders, making him laugh as she was much shorter than he was. "But, if I did, you know, decide to venture outside of the box so to speak, I'd come straight to you."

"Come straight, huh? I like that choice of words." Tyler watched as Randi turned about three different shades of red before she withdrew her arm. He laughed in earnest and finished off the rest of his drink, which he held over his head in a signal to Reid.

"Red, I am needed elsewhere for a moment. You keep working on that technique, and I'll be back in a flash." He dealt her backside a light slap and she jumped with a small squeal, another blush forming on her cheeks. As soon as Reid vacated the pool table, Jess went running to Randi, excitedly talking with the girl. Tyler wandered over to the bar with Reid, both boys grinning too widely.

"She's into you man."

"And Randi's into you." Reid countered quickly. Tyler scoffed and tossed his hair from his face. "Seriously. She hasn't been able to keep her eyes off of you. Keep feeding her that liquid courage and you may just get a piece."

"Reid, she's my best friend, and she doesn't even like guys." Tyler took the full cup of soda from Reid, who produced the flask from within his hoodie. Out of curiosity he chanced a glance over to Randi and Jess, and both girls were indeed looking in their direction.

"Look man, deep down everyone's a little experimental. All I'm saying is, if you offered, I think she'd have a hard time turning you down."

"Doubtful." Tyler took a sip of his now 'adult' beverage and let the alcohol sit on the tip of his tongue. "I've tried before."

"Well, whatever. But I'm not going home empty handed." Reid smiled devilishly and added a few extra doses of alcohol to the drink in his left hand. "Red's hot."

"Her name is Jess."

"Yeah, but she likes Red. Makes her blush." Reid tipped the glass in his hand against Tyler's, taking off again towards the pool tables. Tyler followed slowly, taking long gulps from his cup as he approached Randi. He offered his cup to her and she took it, sniffing the beverage before downing a couple swallows.

"You're the best, Baby Boy." She gave his arm a small punch and he laughed, sipping from the cup once more. "So I think Reid is definitely going to get lucky."

"Well, that makes one of us." Tyler chuckled almost bitterly. Randi frowned and gestured to the bar.

"Surely someone in this dump would go home with you."

"Yeah, but…" He shrugged. "Standards and all that."

"Ah, right. Standards." Randi crinkled her nose. "I hate standards."

"Yeah." Tyler shook his head. "Tell me about it."

"Ladies and gentlemen we have a new champion!" Reid hollered over the noise of the bar, pointing animatedly at Jess, who was clinging to the pool stick as she laughed breathlessly. "You may now claim your prize, Red."

"Prize?" Jess asked, confused. Reid gestured to himself and she broke out laughing again, one hand weakly pushing against his chest even though she was leaning towards him. Reid threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her tight to his side as he gestured for the next round to begin. Tyler quirked an eyebrow as he watched Reid's hand slide down the girl's arm to her waist, where his fingers dipped beneath the waistband of the jeans Jess wore.

"You know, I have to hand it to the man. Reid is fairly smooth." Randi applauded as she watched Reid work his way in with Jess. Tyler just nodded and busied himself with his drink. He turned to head back to the table where the group normally sat, stopped when Randi's hand landed on his arm. "You okay? You got quiet all of a sudden."

"Yeah, just, you know." He gestured to the drink and then to his head. "It's just getting to me a little bit." Randi gave him a suspicious glare but released his arm.

"Alright." She frowned and turned back towards the pool tables just in time to see Reid begin his attack on Jess' neck. "Actually, I think I'll come with you."

Reid was inwardly triumphant as the girl he was currently holding grabbed greedily at the front of his hooded sweatshirt, his fingers wriggling into her skin beneath the waistband of her jeans as his hand worked from her hip around to her back. Jess was almost expectantly tilting her head up towards him, but Reid knew better than to deliver this early in the game. He instead let his teeth close around the flesh of her earlobe, pulling gently before detangling himself from her as a familiar opponent approached the table.

"Garwin." Aaron leaned on the pool table, smirking already, and just for the sake of image Reid rewrapped an arm low around Jess. "What's the in?"

"Sixty." Reid answered quickly, reaching for his drink. He downed the rest of it in a hurry, ready to play. Aaron motioned for one of his cronies to rack the next game and he turned around to accept a cup from someone smaller than him. Reid, curious, craned his neck to try and see who it was. His fist closed tight around the cup in his hand when Alise popped out from behind Aaron, black hair loose and wild around her shoulders. He watched the way Aaron's hand lingered a bit too long on her back before meeting Alise's eyes with his own angry ones.

And then he did the only thing he knew how to do, and Jess never saw the kiss coming.

* * *

**AN:** Well...reviews? Please?


	9. Fighting

**AN: **So this has some language in it, and by some, I mean quite a bit, and by quite a bit, I mean a lot. So yeah. But in other news, I'm on a roll!

* * *

Caleb roared, laughing, at Pogue as the long haired boy fell to defeat for the fifth time. Pogue, swearing incessantly and gesturing wildly at the foosball table, tried to get Caleb to go double or nothing on the whole series.

"Baby, learn how to quit." Kate danced by with Sarah in tow, both girls clutching drinks. Nicky's was packed now, filled to capacity with writhing dancers and money hunting hustlers. Tyler and Randi had taken up the foosball table behind Caleb and Pogue, and Randi was dealing out an ass kicking to the youngest Son.

"What the fucking shit, man?!" Tyler exclaimed as Randi won again. "You're cheating!"

"Am not, you dick!" She shouted back, reaching for the small soccer ball and throwing it back on the table. "You're just a shitty player."

"You're a cheat, King, and you know it!" Tyler pointed across the table and then reached furiously for a handle, flipping it with a flourish. Randi laughed and immediately moved to the defense.

"Man, she's gonna beat your ass again." Pogue sipped from a glass of cold beer he had procured from some unsuspecting waiter's tray as he leaned on the table where Tyler and Randi were playing.

"Shut up!" Tyler yelled, waving his arms wildly at Pogue. "Go away, or help!"

"Caleb, come join this shit." Pogue motioned to Caleb, who had buried his face in Sarah's neck. The blonde girl had turned an attractive shade of crimson as she danced not so innocently against her boyfriend. Caleb waved a hand in dismissal and redirected his attention to his girlfriend. "Yeah that's a lost cause."

"Kate!" Randi cupped her hands around his mouth and yelled for the other girl, who cheerfully approached the game. "Girls versus boys?"

"Battle of the sexes it is." Kate raised her glass excitedly and joined Randi's side of the table. "Are we betting?"

"Of course." Pogue grinned roguishly. "Losers have to sleep with the winners."

"What?" Tyler's eyes went wide and Randi looked incredulously at Pogue.

"You do realize my situation, do you not?" Randi said with a laugh. Pogue rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

"Aw fuck Randi, it's just Tyler. He kinda looks like a girl, if you squint a little bit." Pogue slung an arm over the younger boy's shoulders, missing his facial expression of exasperation. Randi leaned on the table, towards the boys, and shook her head slowly.

"Ain't gonna happen Parry. No offense Baby Boy."

"Yeah, whatever." Tyler shrugged Pogue's arm off and reached for his drink again. "Let's just play." The rest of the table shared a glance and then turned to the game. When the score was five to two, in favor of the girls, all four of them were distracted by a loud noise coming from the other end of the establishment.

* * *

Reid held his breath as he prepared for his next shot, a nearly impossible combination shot that he had made a few times, with a little help. He couldn't Use right now, no thanks to the angles from which he was covered by Aaron, Jess, and Alise. All three of them seemed to be too into what he was doing. Aaron's interest, and Jess', he understood. But Alise was a different story. Even though he had spent the last week trying to help her figure out what she was doing, she had gone out with Aaron again. After she had accused Reid of being too much like Aaron. He inhaled slowly and exhaled as he took the shot, hoping against a hope that perhaps he was actually just naturally skilled at pool.

"That's bullshit!" Aaron shouted as Reid's shot was completed. "You cheated!"

"Oh yeah, how am I cheating?" Reid opened his arms wide, almost begging Aaron to fight him. "Fucking prove it, Abbott!"

"You son of a bitch, you're cheating!"

"Prove it!" They were chest to chest, noses nearly touching. Alise jumped down her chair and Jess came running over as well. Surprisingly, both of their hands landed on Reid. Alise shot Jess a dirty look and Jess returned the favor.

"Why don't you mind your boyfriend?" Jess snapped quickly.

"Oh please, like you'd even have a fraction of a chance." Alise retorted. "You're just some cheap public slut."

"You fucking cheated!"

"And I said prove it!"

"Did you call me a slut, bitch?"

"What are you gonna do about it if I did, whore?" Alise finished her question as Jess reached out and slapped the dark haired girl across the face, cutting through the space between the two boys. Suddenly their interest in each other was lost as Alise came crashing through them, shoving Aaron and Reid to either side as she advanced on Jess.

"Hey!" Reid dove in after her, one arm going around Alise's waist to pull her off the redhead.

"Get your hands off my girlfriend, you dick!" Aaron threw a wild punch that somehow landed on Reid's left cheek. The blond stumbled, losing his grip on Alise and colliding with the pool table. Jess took the opportunity to lunge at Alise, and Reid went barreling towards Aaron. The girls crashed into a small table, hair flying everywhere as they fought. Reid threw his shoulder hard into Aaron's middle, taking the boy down to the floor. He raised his fist for a punch, his wrist caught in a strong grip. Brody had made his appearance, his fist making contact with Reid's nose. Stars erupted behind the blond's eyes and instinctively he reached for his face.

"The fuck is going on?!" Caleb arrived on the scene, his question answered by a right hook from another of Aaron's friends. He took two steps backwards, pushed forwards by the people that had crowded around the fight.

"Caleb, no!" Sarah tried to reach through the crowd, but was just a fraction of a second too late as Caleb jumped into the fray. She was easily pushed to the side by Pogue and Tyler, who came shoving up to the fight. Randi followed them in, going over to help Jess. She reached the fighting girls and dealt a quick blow to the back of Alise's head with an open palm, distracting the dark haired girl long enough for Jess to scramble towards the bathroom.

"Don't even fucking think about it, Van deGaard. I will rip your goddamn head off." Randi threatened. Alise wiped a hand across her mouth, bleeding from a split lip. She looked over to where the boys were still brawling and then stomped into the crowd, making a beeline for the front door. Randi sighed and made her way carefully over to the other fight, jumping in behind Tyler as he dealt a swift cross to Brody's stomach.

"Get out of here!" Tyler shouted at her, ducking as Brody swung with an empty beer bottle. Randi nodded and moved through the crowd, finding Kate and Sarah and pulling the two girls from the bar.

"Cops!" Someone in the bar alerted the entertained masses to the presence of the authorities and people scattered like wild. Pogue grabbed onto Caleb's arm, stopping him from pummeling the boy who had first hit him. Tyler got a hold on the back of Reid's neck, dragging him from the fight as the blond shouted obscenities through a blood filled mouth at Aaron.

"Keys!" Pogue held his hand out to Tyler, who tossed him the keys to the Hummer. Caleb and Reid were unceremoniously tossed in the backseat as the other two climbed in the front. Pogue slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and peeled out of the parking lot, kicking up gravel before he turned onto the main road. The tires squealed in protest as he rounded a sharp corner, his fingers switching off the truck's lights when they swung into an alley. Blue and red lights flew by behind them, flashing brightly.

"What the fucking fuck?!" Tyler screamed, turning in his seat to glare at Reid and Caleb. "What the shit! What the fuck happened?!"

"Fucking Abbott told me I cheated." Reid grimaced as he pinched his nose to try and stop the bleeding. "Goddamnit. That fucker broke my nose."

"Well you damn well deserve it, you jackass!" Pogue added in to Tyler's shouting. "And Caleb, what the fuck?!"

"I got hit first, this is bullshit!" Caleb punched the back of the driver's seat angrily.

"Hey! Leave my truck out of this!" Tyler pointed a threatening finger in Caleb's face.

"Can someone fix this, please? It hurts like you wouldn't believe." Reid winced as his nose continued to bleed out onto his hoodie. Caleb's eyes bled black put Pogue's open palm was quickly pressed into his chest.

"If he wants to heal it he can do it himself." Pogue said angrily. Tyler shot Pogue a nervous glance, knowing that it would only take Reid just the smallest hint of Power to put him over the edge.

"Pogue, come on man, you know-"

"No, Tyler, it's his fucking fault."

"No it's not!" Reid shouted. "I didn't cheat! I actually made the shot! I swear, I didn't Use at all!" He was gesturing wildly now, furious. "I made that shot fair and fucking square, that asshole told me I cheated and I told him to prove it, and he fucking hit me!"

"So how did Alise and Jess get into it?"

"Oh Christ." Reid went to go hold his head in his hands and howled when accidentally pressed too close to his broken nose. "Please fix it, someone, Christ, please."

"Tyler, stop!" Pogue reached out for Tyler as the younger boy let his eyes go black, a sickening crack filling the truck as Reid's nose popped into its proper place. "Tyler!"

"I'm gonna be sick." Caleb moaned, his head leaning against the window. Tyler jumped from the front seat to the back, throwing open the door right in time as Caleb vomited.

"Get out! Get out of my truck! Holy shit, get out!" Tyler stepped over the puddle of puke and helped Caleb out of the truck, dodging as the older boy spewed another impressive volcano of vomit onto the asphalt.

"Are the cops still at Nicky's?" Pogue asked Reid, who turned in his seat and looked down the road.

"Nah. They're gone now."

"Good." Pogue sighed and started the truck up again. "Load him up Tyler. Sarah's going to have a fit."

* * *

**AN:** Let me know what you think about this obscenity and violence filled chapter!


	10. Working

**AN: **Alright, this is a long one, and my last one for the night! Hopefully the last three chapters keep you all busy for awhile, I need to recharge my batteries on this one!

* * *

"Nice shiner, Abbott." Caleb smirked as Reid commented on Aaron's new cosmetic addition. Indeed, the area around Aaron's right eye was a disgusting shade of purple and black. Reid didn't look too much better himself, with a bruised jaw and two separate splits in his lip. Caleb had gotten away easy with just a faint bruise on his cheek.

"Shut up Garwin." Aaron narrowed his eyes at the blond and made a show out of wrapping himself up in Alise. She simpered at Reid and then stroked Aaron's chest almost adoringly, laughing prettily as she sat beside him. Reid just glared and Caleb had to nudge the blond to keep him from breaking his pencil.

"I didn't know you had it that bad for Van deGaard."

"Shut your face Danvers or I'll break it." Reid snapped irritably. "I'm out."

"Class hasn't even started."

"So what?" Reid gathered his books and bolted from the classroom, reaching into his pocket for a cough drop as he sauntered down the hallway. He considered swinging by the pool, but he knew that Coach was probably there testing the chlorine or something, so that was out. With a sigh he exited the building, loosening the tie around his neck. He shouldered the bag that carried his books and shoved his hands further into his pockets, hunching his shoulders against the cold as he began walking across the parking lot towards the main road that led out of Spenser. Reid knew where he was going, and not a single person could bother him while he was there.

* * *

"Have you seen Reid?" Caleb asked Tyler as they filed in to History later that day. Tyler shook his head.

"Not since English this morning. Why, what's up?"

"He skipped out on Calculus when he saw Van and Abbott together, haven't heard from him since."

"Huh." Tyler slipped into his seat and took out his phone, checking to see if Reid had texted him. "I got nothing."

"Yeah I texted him about an hour ago but no answer."

"Maybe he's back in the room. I'll check after class."

"Yeah, just let me know." Caleb took his place beside Tyler, flipping open a notebook. "How's Randi?"

"She's uh, she's still pretty pissed." Tyler admitted, an embarrassed flush filling his face. "Says we put Jess in danger and all that stuff."

"Did you tell her to take that up with Van?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm still on best friend probation though."

"What?"

"She only answers texts with one word and she won't answer if I call her." Tyler sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. "It can only last what, a week? She'll come around by Friday."

"Let's hope so." Caleb carefully wrote the date in the top right corner on the paper in his notebook. "So when are you and Randi going to finally admit you're in love?"

"What?" Tyler coughed loudly, dropping his head low towards the desk. "Are you insane?"

"Come on man, we all see it. It's obvious you like her."

"Caleb, she's not into guys. I can like her all I want, but that doesn't mean shit."

"Well, you could at least try."

"I have!" Tyler, frustrated, threw his pen down on the desk. "What is with everyone lately? Reid, Pogue, and now you. All telling me to do this. I have tried, you know, it's not like I don't know my best friend who happens to be a girl is fucking ridiculously good looking, alright? I'm not an idiot. I know she's pretty, very pretty, and I have given it my best shot, but she's adamant about playing ball with the other team. Or not team balls, whatever, I don't know. Leave me alone."

"Well." Caleb, amused by Tyler's outburst, set his pen down on the desk and gave the younger boy a sarcastic pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"Oh eat a dick Caleb." Tyler snapped, burying his face in his arms.

* * *

Reid wiped his hands on his pants as he stared down at the finished engine assembly resting inside his project. He smiled down at his work, satisfied. He stepped around to one side of the car, reaching in through the driver's side window to try and crank the engine.

"Don't let me down now." He muttered, closing his eyes as he turned the key. The engine sputtered once, twice, and then whined. Reid swore quietly, letting go of the ignition for a couple of seconds before twisting the key again. It sputtered again and then roared to life. He punched a fist in the air triumphantly, running back around to watch the engine run. He missed the front of the barn opening and Tyler slipping inside.

"Whoa, it runs!" Tyler was almost shouting over the noise and Reid jumped wildly, surprised. The blond barely stopped himself from knocking into the toolboxes set precariously on a counter by the car. "She sounds good!"

"Yeah I thought so too!" Reid shouted back, walking over and cutting it off. "All I have to do now is pop the tires on her and take her out for a spin." The blond looked at Tyler, who was still in his school uniform. "You want to help?"

"Absolutely." Tyler shred his uniform jacket and dress shirt, pulling the white undershirt out of the waistband of his slacks as he walked with Reid over to the stack of four tires in the corner. "I can't believe you got it running finally."

"Yeah. Took me all day."

"So this is where you've been?"

"Yeah, I just needed to let off some steam, you know." Reid rolled two of the tires to the driver's side while Tyler did the same on the passenger's side. "Hey man, sorry about that fight too."

"It's cool. Randi's pissed, but I didn't take any damage."

"Yeah but you fucked Brody up pretty good. He's missing a tooth."

"Shit really?" Tyler laughed and walked around to help Reid with the car jack. "I didn't know I was hitting him that hard."

"I think you might have done some overkill." Reid chuckled and cranked the car up. The next hour or so passed in relative silence as the boys worked, and finally they stood back to admire their handiwork. "Damn I'm excited."

"You want to take her out?" Tyler was almost as anxious as Reid, rubbing his hands together at the thought of riding down the road in this machine. Reid grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Damn right I do." Reid was quick to jump behind the wheel, turning the key until the engine caught. Tyler slammed the hood down and swung into the passenger seat, running his hands over the new upholstery. "Man, Dad would kill to see this." Reid smiled sadly to himself and then revved the engine for a few seconds.

"She sounds great. Let's do this." Tyler was nearly bouncing with excitement as Reid shifted the car into reverse and slowly backed it out of the barn. Both boys were grinning like fools as they got close to the paved road at the end of the Garwin property. "You have to go all out."

"No shit, Sherlock." Reid almost giggled as he turned onto the road, bringing the car to a full stop. "Damn."

"Do it!" Tyler encouraged the blond, who just laughed and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, shifting through the gears quickly as the engine of the car sprang to life. They flew down the empty road, passing eighty, ninety miles an hour with ease. When they reached one hundred miles per hour Reid started to back off, his wide smile unbreakable.

"Dad has to see this." Reid said quietly as the car coasted to an acceptable speed. Tyler just nodded and relaxed into the seat, one arm hanging out of the window as Reid took the complicated set of turns to the Garwin estate.

When the Garwin house loomed before them, Reid let out a shaky breath and swallowed thickly. Tyler knew it had been months since the other boy had been to his house, all because he couldn't bear to see his father wasting away. Reid knew it was what he could come to expect, being that he knew once he Ascended the Power would be too addictive to resist. It was hard to fight it now, and it was only because of Caleb's ordeal that Reid had gotten more stringent with his Using.

"You want me to wait here?"

"No, you can uh, you can come in." Reid turned off the car and got out, standing and admiring his hard work before he turned towards the mansion. The front door was already open, a tall blonde woman waiting expectantly at the top of the stairs. "Ah, shit. How bad is my face?"

"It could be worse. Just tell her you ate shit on the pool deck at practice the other day."

"Yeah, ok." Reid nodded and put the keys in his pocket, jogging up the steps to his mother. "Hey Mom."

"Reid." Natalia Garwin haughtily sniffed as her son approached her. "Where have you been, and who have you been fighting?"

"I slipped on the deck a couple days ago."

"So is that why I got a phone call from Angela again?" Reid cursed mentally. Angela Abbott was the bane of his existence sometimes.

"Mom, I can explain."

"You can explain later." Natalia offered a sweet smile to Tyler, who returned the favor. "Hello Tyler."

"Hey Mrs. Garwin." She waved a hand at his manners and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know how many times I've told all you boys to call me Natalia, please." She swept past them into the foyer and they followed her into the house. "Your father is in his study, I suspect that's why you're here."

"Yeah, I wanted to show him the car." As if noticing it for the first time, Natalia brushed aside a curtain and gave a quick nod of approval. Reid shuffled his feet awkwardly on the foyer carpet. Tyler was quick to come to his rescue.

"Mrs. Garwin, did I tell you about this History project I'm doing? It's on Russian-American collaboration, and I was wondering if you would be interested in helping." Tyler gave Reid a short and hopeful glance as he followed the blonde woman into the living room while Reid started to walk back towards his father's study.

"Dad?" Reid knocked softly on the cracked door, pushing it open. He felt five years old again as he stepped into the study. The walls were lined with bookshelves, all filled with historical and medical texts. At one point in his life, Charles Garwin had been a successful surgeon. A slow movement in the armchair by the fireplace caught Reid's attention and his heart leapt into his throat. He moved around the chair carefully, a sick and scared part of him wanting to stay behind the chair and not face the music. Instead to came full circle and faced his father, or what was left of him. Sagging, bluish skin was wrinkled over bones that were too thin. The only part of Charles that indicated he was barely fifty were his eyes, which were as sharp and blue as ever.

"Son." It wasn't the voice Reid had grown up with that spoke to him now, but the voice of someone on their death bed. Weak, raspy, and cold. Reid smiled just a little bit and sank into the armchair beside his father.

"I finished the car. You remember it, right? The '68? I finished it today. It's in the driveway. I was wondering if you wanted to see it." Reid licked his lips, nervous. It was the most he had ever spoken with his father since he had gotten his Power at thirteen. "Tyler helped me finish it today, we put the tires on and even took it for a nice little spin, it looks great." Reid grabbed a picture on his father's desk, the picture he knew both of them cherished. "Looks just like it used to."

"Reid." The boy didn't look up, but stared hard at the picture he held in his hands. The frame was faded where Reid had often carried it around the house as a child, and the picture was faded from being out in the sunlight after too many years of sitting on Charles' desk. In it, a very young Reid and his father were standing beside what had been at the time his father's pride and joy, a 1968 Z28 Camaro. Shortly after the photo was taken, however, Charles had started to Use too heavily to keep up with the car and it had been sent to the barn out on their property. Reid had rediscovered it when he was sixteen, and he had been working on it for nearly two years.

"You should come see it Dad." Reid whispered, replacing the photo on the desk. A withered hand moved over from the other armchair and Reid held out his hand for his father to take. Reid knew his father wouldn't have the strength to stand on his own and was probably too feeble to even be carried at this point.

"I'm sorry." And with those two words, Reid leaned forward, almost bent in half, as he held tight to his father's hand and, covered in dirt and engine grease, cried into his slacks.

* * *

**AN:** Well...let me know what you think!


	11. Begging

**AN:** Another update, because **Sara188** asked so nicely for it!

* * *

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes." Randi didn't look up from her plate of onion rings and grilled chicken as Tyler sat across from her.

"Is there anything I could do to change that?"

"Not really." She poked at her chicken, stabbing it along the grill marks in the meat. Tyler sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "I mean, I just keep replaying that whole night in my head, and I don't even know how we got to that point."

"Look, everyone had been drinking. Reid was actually not the one doing the provoking for once."

"Tyler, Jess had to go home and explain to her parents why her eye was busted up." Randi threw her fork on the table and crossed her hands angrily in her lap. "Not to mention that I had to then go back and apologize to her and try to defend the Spenser crowd. For some elitist pricks, you all are fairly base."

"Look, Randi, I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what else you want me to do. I told you to leave."

"And I did. I would have much rather stayed, trust me." Randi grumbled the last part and Tyler cracked a smile, holding a hand out to her, palm up. She rolled her eyes and put her hand in his.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt, that's all."

"Oh quit, you're such a little bitch." She scoffed and tried to pull her hand from him but he held tight, tugging until she looked him in the eyes. Her face softened almost immediately. "I guess I'm not mad. Just….frustrated."

"Which is understandable."

"You could have let me stay and punch Abbott though. That guy deserves whatever ass beating Reid laid on him." Randi laughed and tickled Tyler's palm with her fingernails. He let go and leaned back in his seat, grinning.

"Reid did a number on him, that shiner is going to be there for weeks."

"Beautiful." She ran a hand through her bangs, free from the loose messy bun that dangled on the back of her neck. She looked up suddenly, catching him as he stared at her, mesmerized by her small yet graceful movements. "What?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and turned his attention to the food on the table in front of him. Randi let out a breezy laugh and then placed both her hands out with her palms up, an invitation for Tyler that he gladly took.

"You know, even when you screw up, you're still the best best friend I could have ever asked for."

"I know. I'm pretty awesome."

"Tyler Simms!"

"Well it's true." He laughed deeply as she launched an onion ring at his head. They shared a round of side food catapulting, their table soon covered in onion rings and ketchup drenched fries. Their battle was interrupted unexpectedly by Randi holding up a hand, her eyes wide with a sudden realization. "What?"

"We haven't thrown a party in months! Aren't your parents out of town?"

"Yeah, they're in Alaska until the end of the month." Tyler thoughtfully plucked a fry from his plate and slathered it in even more ketchup. "Why, you thinking of something?"

"Well, it has been several months since either of us has properly admired the beauty of creation that is a female body." Randi tapped her fingers on her chin, pondering. "Maybe a Summer in Winter theme. Beach attire only."

"You want to pack my house full of alcohol and half naked people?" Tyler asked skeptically. Randi nodded as she took a bite of her chicken. He shrugged. "I'll check the liquor bar when I get home tonight."

* * *

Reid pushed his foot farther down on the accelerator of the Camaro as he sped down the back roads of Ipswich. Everyone in town used the familiar roads, but Reid had grown up driving through the intricate patterns woven through the Ipswich outskirts when he had repeatedly borrowed his mother's car without permission. He had learned when to expect the turn, when to sink down below the double yellow lines, and how to shift like a champion. Now, driving the machine his father had once been so proud of, he felt complete as he threaded the car through each and every turn. Reid was taking yet another winding curve masterfully when he noticed how dark it had gotten, and reached to turn on the headlights.

He looked through the windshield at the storm clouds gathering overhead and frowned. They seemed to be coming in from all directions, but were converging on one single spot. He quickly checked his surroundings and then panic set in. He slammed his foot down on the brake and spun the steering wheel hard to the left, the back tires screaming in protest as he tried to shift up too quickly. His heart pounded faster as each second ticked by, the speedometer creeping past ninety as he raced the growing storm. It couldn't happen today. His birthday wasn't for another two weeks, he couldn't let this happen today.

"Please don't, please." He was whispering to himself, and the steering wheel, as he flew back down the road that would lead him home. More twists and turns greeted him after he whipped the car onto the street that led to the Garwin estate, but they didn't slow him down in the slightest. At long last he saw the double lantern lights that marked the entrance to his home. Reid didn't even care that he left long black skid marks in the white concrete of the driveway, the engine running and lights burning as he tore himself from the car and sprinted to the front door.

The hallway leading from the foyer to the study had never seemed longer in his life, and he could have sworn he had run a mile inside his own home before he reached the study door. It was blown nearly off its hinges as he entered the room, stopping short as he surveyed the room and the scene before him.

"Reid, what on earth?" Natalia held a fluttering hand to her chest, watery blue eyes locked on her son.

"Don't make him do it, please." Reid shook his head from side to side as he crossed the room, hands gripping the back of the chair where Charles sat slumped in a pile of skin and bones. "Please not yet. I can't…I won't be able to take it."

"You will." Natalia said firmly. "I know you can."

"I said no!" Reid felt like throttling his own mother's neck with his hands. "Mom, please!"

"Reid." Charles held up a weak hand and instantly Reid went around the side of the chair, nearly knocking Natalia over in the process. His hand, young and strong and shaking, closed around Charles' withered dying one.

"Dad please don't go. Please, not yet. Don't go." The blond boy dropped to his knees and rested his forehead on the edge of the seat cushion, the side of his face brushing against one of his father's thin legs. He heard the thick intake of breath coming from above him and Reid tightened his grip on his father's hand, inhaling with a hiccup against the knot that had formed in the back of his throat. He held Charles' cold fingers hard to his cheek, his other hand buried hard in his own hair, pulling tight against his scalp.

"You can…" Charles took another breath, the air rasping through his lungs with difficulty. "Take this." The older man's entire body shook. "And be better."

"I don't want you to go yet." It was a small, terrified, and desperate whimper that came from Reid, but he knew that his father's mind had been made up. The storm shook the house and Reid shuddered, inching closer to his father's chair. Natalia stood to one side, eyes cast upon her husband and son as the room grew darker. "Please. Please don't go. I'm sorry, please, please don't leave me. Please don't go, Dad, I don't want you to go." He was on the verge of sobbing now, shoulders heaving with ragged and uneven breaths that drained all energy from him.

"I will you…" There was a pause as Charles took another sickly breath and Reid let out a pained groan, burying his face deeper into the blanket that was draped over his father. "…my Power."

And then Reid was screaming as his insides twisted, his blood on fire as lightning struck his chest and ripped into his heart, eyes as dark as the sky outside while the life faded from the body in the armchair.

* * *

"Something's wrong." Caleb didn't even have a chance to answer his phone properly as Tyler shouted into the other end. "Something's wrong, I can feel it!"

"I know, Pogue's already called me, and I felt it too."

"Where is Reid?"

"I haven't heard from him."

"I need to call him." Tyler hung up suddenly and Caleb tossed his phone into the passenger's seat, flying down the two lane road that led to Pogue's house. He arrived within minutes, meeting Pogue halfway down the drive.

"It wasn't one of us, it felt different.' The long haired boy folded himself into Caleb's car and Caleb backed out from the driveway, now heading towards the Danvers colony house.

"Tyler's calling Reid, they'll meet us at the house."

"You don't think…" Pogue swallowed uneasily, worry etched into his face. "Chase?"

"No." Caleb said firmly. "There was nothing left at the barn. Nothing. I walked that place for hours, and even when I Used, I couldn't find a trace of him. That fire destroyed it all." Trees whipped by their windows as Caleb pushed his car faster. A pair of headlights appeared in the mirrors without warning, advancing on the Mustang.

"It's Tyler." Pogue said as he recognized the telltale row of extra lights on the bumper frame. Within seconds Caleb's phone lit up, Tyler's number flashing across the screen.

"Tyler, what's up?"

"It's Reid." The younger boy sounded panicked. "It's Reid, he's at his house."

"What happened?" Caleb wanted to shout it but restrained himself. Pogue was turned to the side in his seat, trying to catch any phrase coming from the other end of the phone.

"It's his father." Tyler didn't have to say the next words, Caleb already knew what was coming. "He's dead."

The two vehicles descended upon the Garwin property in a tiny caravan, headlights illuminating the driveway where the haphazardly parked muscle car still sat, its lights finally off. Caleb waited for Tyler to park beside him before anyone climbed out, no words spoken between them until the passenger side of the Hummer opened and Randi spilled out.

"Tyler." It was Pogue who growled in warning, and Tyler squared his shoulders in defiance, taking one of Randi's hands in his own.

"I trust her." Her eyes darted from boy to boy to boy, unsure of where to look and of what in general was going on.

"I don't know Ty, it's-"

"You have Sarah, and Pogue has Kate. Don't tell me I can't choose who I want to entrust with this!" Tyler firmly settled the discussion and began striding to the front stoop, Randi in tow with Caleb and Pogue bringing up the rear. They reached the front door and entered the house without knocking. Randi wrapped her other hand around Tyler's, enclosing his hand entirely within hers. Natalia stood at the top of the staircase, a black shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders. Her face was streaked with obvious tears. Tyler titled his head up to look at her, and she just nodded, attempting a smile.

"He's still in the study." Her words fell out as a trembling sigh, but it was all they needed. They moved as a group to the study and Caleb pushed open the door. Tyler broke his hand free from Randi, walking slowly into the study. A pair of legs stuck out from the side of the armchair, clad in the tattered jeans Reid was immensely fond of. Tyler inched his way closer, peering around the side of the armchair as he held his breath.

"I told him not to go." Reid whispered, his head still resting on the cushion. The blanket, once draped over Charles, now lay over Reid's shoulders in an effort to keep him warm. His shivering was a testament to the fact that it wasn't working. Tyler put a hand on his best friends shoulder and Reid barely turned his head towards the other boy. "I know what you're going to look for. Mom looked too but she didn't say anything. Will you tell me?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you." Tyler felt his heart leap into his throat as Reid shifted, preparing to face the youngest Son. "You're going to be fine, Reid, everything's going to be ok."

Tyler had never been religious, nor spiritual, but in those few seconds he began praying to whatever deity was listening that his best friend still had blue, clear, healthy eyes, and not the obsidian orbs of a pre-Ascended addict.

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**AN: **Let me know what you think, pretty please!


	12. Restarting

**AN: **So this is a little shorter than the last two chapters, but I'm working on some much longer chapters for the near future! Enjoy!

* * *

_ "I know what you're going to look for. Mom looked too but she didn't say anything. Will you tell me?"_

_ "Yeah, I'll tell you. You're going to be fine, Reid, everything's going to be ok."_

Tyler's last words rang in his head as he turned slowly, eyes clenched shut so tightly that it hurt. Reid held on with what seemed like all his strength to the cushion in the armchair. He felt Tyler's hand close hard around his shoulder and he let out an unstable breath, counting down in his head.

"Open your eyes, Reid." Tyler sounded twelve again. "I can't tell you if you don't."

"Okay." His heart was pumping too loudly in his ears, and his stomach was tied in knots in his throat, and he couldn't feel his fingers or his toes, but he finally let his eyes slide open and he looked up at Tyler, waiting for a reaction.

"Oh fuck." Reid didn't have a chance to decipher the look that crossed Tyler's face as the younger boy launched himself forward, enveloping the blond in a hug that was two sizes too tight. "You're good, shit, you're okay. You're okay, oh holy fuck."

* * *

Tyler had never seen so many Spenser students crammed into one house before. The foyer of his house was packed with writhing, yelling bodies, all in some form of altered state of mind. Randi had been his party planner, insisting that it would take her mind off of processing all the information about the Sons so she wouldn't have time to freak out about it. Tyler had let it slide, but he knew that at some point he was going to have to sit down and talk to her about it at length.

"Good party so far Baby Boy." Caleb said in approval as he sipped from a plastic cup full of beer. Tyler nodded and downed some of his own drink, a horribly good liquor mixture that Randi had given him earlier in the evening. She had set up shop in the kitchen, dealing out drinks like it was her mission in life.

"I hope it stays that way, I'd rather not have the cops called out here." Tyler laughed and took another gulp of his drink, waiting for the alcohol to kick in. Caleb lifted his cup in agreement.

"Well, as long as Reid and Abbott stay away from each other, I think we're fine." Caleb laughed and headed down the stairs, his arm quickly wrapping around Sarah as she danced in the foyer with Kate. Tyler leaned on the banister at the top of the steps, enjoying watching the party down below. Pogue had been roped into a game of beer pong by Reid, and they were currently dominating the series with six victories. He could hear the shouting coming from the dining room, where the beer pong table had been set up, and he knew Reid and Pogue had just gone seven for seven.

"You look like you need a refill." Tyler jumped when Randi appeared next to him, shoving an extra cup in his hand. He took the beverage with a smile, chugging the last little bit in his first drink so he could start on the second.

"Nice to see you found your way out of the kitchen."

"Is that a woman joke?" Randi teased. Tyler laughed and quickly took two more swallows of his drink. The alcohol content had gone up since the beginning of the night and he had to grimace as the aftertaste flooded his mouth. "Too much?"

"Never."

"Damn good answer." Randi polished off the last of her drink and grabbed Tyler's from his hand. He made a face at her but let her have a few sips anyway. "So. How many prospective hot chicks are already drunk?"

"Well, how much have you had to drink?"

"You're a cheese, Baby Boy." Randi rolled her eyes, leaning on the banister beside him. Tyler just shrugged and looked down on the crowd again, his attention drawn towards the dining room as another round of cheering broke out. "Christ they're what, eight for eight now?"

"Yeah. Reid must be fucking slammed."

"You're damn good looking when you swear like that."

"Don't start." Tyler said seriously, pointing a finger at her face. "Harmless or not, I am a guy."

"Yes, I know. You're gross. You have weird naughty parts." Randi stuck out her tongue and laughed when Tyler snorted. "Let's go crash their winning streak Baby Boy." She looped her arm through his and dragged him down the steps, wading through the crowd until they got to the beer pong table. Reid greeted them with a wild yell, a liquor drink in one hand and a full cup of beer in the other.

"Join the fucking table! You're going down King, I'm about to make you my bitch!" Reid shouted enthusiastically. Randi let out a howl of laughter and set up the required triangle of cups.

"Birthday boys, after you!" She hollered across the table. Pogue mockingly bowed low and then took a step back from the table, firing his first shot with surprising accuracy. He and Reid high fived and took a drink from their cup as Randi emptied the first cup of the game. Tyler threw next, the ball bouncing off the rim of one cup into another. Reid downed it without second thought and then lined up for his shot, which missed by an inch.

"The fuck man?" Pogue asked his teammate, who smiled apologetically and buried his face in his liquor drink. Randi took her shot, intentionally bouncing it off the middle of the table and into the front cup. She threw both arms in the air, letting out a loud yell. Tyler laughed Reid and Pogue both grabbed a cup for themselves and drank, then turned his attention to Randi as she draped an arm over his shoulders.

"Three more shots, Baby Boy, and we'll take down those assholes."

"Whatever you want." They looked down at the table as Pogue threw his shot, the ball swirling inside the cup. Randi reached in with one finger and plucked it out, blowing a sarcastic kiss to Pogue as she rendered his shot worthless. He threw his hands up in the air and flipped her his middle fingers as Tyler took his shot. It was another bounce from the middle of the table, and Reid swiped it away before it could even get close to the cups.

"Fuck you Ty, fuck you!"

"Eat a dick!" Tyler laughed back to Reid, who cackled and downed the rest of his beverage before finding another ball. Reid threw it haphazardly and cheered when it somehow landed in a cup. Randi passed the cup to Tyler, who drank it in one swallow, and then she lined up for her shot, laughing as Pogue and then Reid attempted to yank the ball out of the cup before it hit the beer.

"Bounce it again and we win." Tyler nodded as Randi gave him directions and waited for Pogue to throw the ball back, jumping at the bounced shot. He swatted the ball away and Randi caught it, both of them laughing as Pogue and Reid started yelling at each other for performing so poorly. Tyler used their momentary distraction to attempt another bounce and Randi nearly screamed his ear off when it landed in the closest cup.

"What the fuck!" Pogue pointed down at the cup on his side of the table as Reid dropped to his knees, both of them howling at their loss. Randi jumped up onto Tyler's back, nearly knocking him over in the process as he struggled to grab one of her legs and keep his drink from spilling.

"We'll be back, don't you worry!" Reid laughed as he walked away from the table, his empty cup still held in his hand as he moved through the packed house to the kitchen. He slipped behind the counter, bottles clinking together as he searched for the rum he wanted.

"Looking for this?" He looked up to see Alise leaning across the counter, the very bottle he wanted dangling from her fist. Reid took a moment to look her over before he tried to grab the alcohol. "Not so fast, birthday boy, what do I get for it?"

"What do you want for it?" Reid replied, trying to focus on the girl in front of him. His vision was swimming, but he could make out a pair of skin tight jeans, high black heels, and a thin bejeweled tank top that had been tied off right under her breasts. She tilted her head back and laughed, handing him the bottle before she leaned nearly all the way across the narrow counter and ran a hand down the front of his shirt.

"I want to make sure this birthday boy has a good time."

* * *

Tyler held on to the table as hard as he could, his vision swimming as he swallowed against the drunken knot in his throat. He stared at the cup below him, taking slow and deep breaths as he tried to will his stomach to stop churning.

"Baby Boy!" Randi giggled directly in his ear, her arms encircling his neck as she crashed into his side. They both nearly hit the floor, saved only by the fact that Tyler had such a grip on the table. "We can win. We just have to make one more shot."

"Alright." He nodded and held out a hand for the ball. Randi pressed it into his palm. "Fuck, you're going to have to hold me up."

"Goddamn Ty!" Randi laughed but moved behind the drunk boy, her arms slipping around his midsection as she steered him to the middle of the table. "You better make this shot, I swear."

"Shut up." Tyler blew a raspberry at her with his tongue and then squinted down the table, his teeth biting his lip as he took his shot. The crowd around the table erupted in disbelief as the ball sank into the last cup on the other side of the table. Randi and Tyler both collapsed onto their side of the table, laughing as the other team swore and pointed angrily at each other in defeat. "I need to stop drinking."

"Shhh." Randi pressed a single finger to his mouth and shook her head. "We don't say such things." She giggled when he tried to bite her finger. "Fuck me, you're trashed."

"A little." He grinned, his smile getting bigger when she moved to his side and wrapped an arm around him.

"As much as I know I'm going to regret this in the morning, let's go dance this off."

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**AN: **Let me know what you think!


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